Wire fabric.



UNITED STATES GUY MAFERA, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 190e.

Application med April 27, 1905. serial No. 257,657.

To all wwm/ it ntag/ concern:

Be it known that I, GUY MAFERA, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vire Fabric, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fabric such as that used in the construction of wire mattresses, and has for its object to provide fasteners for uniting the ends of the wires in such a way that the fabric when folded for' shipment or any other purpose shall be compact and of the smallest possible bulk.

The fabric illustrated upon the accompanying drawings is composed of a series of interlooped wires, each of which is in the form of a somewhat flattened helix. The helical wires, each extending the width of the fabric, are twisted through each other and the ends at the side edges of the fabric united by suitable connecting-links. Heretofore the connecting-link referred to has been formed of sheet metal having holes, one at each end, through which the ends ofthe wires are securely hooked. The objection to links of this description is that the intervening metal between the end holes binds upon the wires when the fabric is rolled, folding being impossible, and prevents them from sliding back or forth or turning relatively to each other according to the tendency thereof. The result is that no two wires lie fiat against each other, and the whole aggregation is a bulky disorderly mass of bent wire.

In order to remedy the defects caused by links formed as described, and so to enable the helical wires to be folded flat upon each other, the resent invention provides a connecting-lin i formed of a loop in the form of an elongated letter O, through which the adjacent ends of two wires are looped and securely hooked. Either or both of the wires are free to slide lengthwise of the link, and the fact that they lie flat when folded is due solely to that freedom of movement.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 illustrates a portion of wire fabric provided with O- shaped connecting-links. Fig. 2 illustrates the same portion folded. Fig. 3 is an edge view of one of the link connections.

The same reference characters indicate the saine parts wherever they occur.

The fabric herein illustrated is composed of a plurality of wires l0, extending transverse y thereof and each bent in the form of a somewhat flattened helix of steep pitch. Said wire helices are intertwisted in a series, so that their sharply-bent portions 11 hook around each other. The ends of the wires 10 are bent to form eyes 12, of which each adjacent pair is united by a connecting-link 15, formed of wire bent in the form of an elongated letter O. By so forming the links 15 an open space 16 is provided between the eyes 12. The length of the links is such that it permits the bends 11 to engage each other when the fabric is unfolded, as in Fig. 1, and drawn out to its full length. When the fabric is folded for packing or any other purpose, each wire is turned half over,A so that it lies flat upon the wirenext to it, as shown in Fig. 2. The links 15 being perfectly free to adjust themselves relatively to the eyes 12 by reason of the space 16 do not bind thereupon, and so interfere with the foldinfT of the pieces. To fold the fabric into the smallest form, the wires 10 are not folded over and over, as in rolling, but are folded in alternately opposite directions.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although Without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim isn 1. A wire fabric comprising a series of helical wires flattened and interlooped, eyes formed by the ends of said wires, and a plurality of links each having an elongated opening therethrough and each looped through and connecting two adjacent eyes of said wires.

2. A wire fabric comprising a series of wires extending transversely thereof and bent in the form of helices somewhat flattened and interlooped with each other, a plurality of links each having an elongated opening through which the two adjacent ends of each two adjacent wires project, and eyes formed by the ends of said wires around solid portions of said links.

3. A wire fabric comprising a series of wires extending transversely thereof and bent in the form of helices somewhat flattened and interlooped with each other, eyes formed by bends at the ends of said wires, and connecting-links formed of continuous elongated rings each extending through two adjacent eyes of each two adjacent helical thereto and connecting two adjacent eyes of wn'es. two adacent wires.

4. A wne 'l'abrlc cornprrsrng a serles of In testnnony whereof I have aH'lXed my wnes extending transversely thereof and slgnatnre 1n presence ol' two wltnesses. bent 1n the 'lorln ol helices somewhat Ilat- T v GU MAFBJRA. tened and lnterlooped w1 th each otherI ey es formed by bends at the ends of sald. wnes, Wlltnesses: and eonnectn'lg-llnks looped through sald. C. C. STECHER,

eyes and. longitudinally slldahle relatively M. B. MAY. 

